March 6, 2012

Quote of the Day: War Is Not a Game

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From Barack Obama, on the casual bellicosity toward Iran that’s overtaken the Republican Party:

This is not a game…If some of these folks think we should launch a war, let them say so, and explain to the American people.

On a related note, Paul Waldman has a question: “When Do Reporters Start Calling Mitt Romney a Liar?” It’s a poser, all right. Romney has repeatedly said that Obama doesn’t support sanctions against Iran; that Obama refuses to leave military options open; and that Obama hasn’t clearly said that it’s unacceptable for Iran to have a nuclear weapon. This isn’t a matter of exaggeration or interpretation. These are exactly the things Obama has done. Romney is just flat-out lying.

On the other hand, Obama has also made it clear that he thinks war is a last resort, not a first. Romney could truthfully say that about him. But as Obama says, if that’s his position, maybe he ought to step up to the plate and let everyone know.

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WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

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Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

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